Mirrors
by Aviaries
Summary: "It struck Gemma how much she and her mother had haunted each other. Gemma, the power that would save the realms, and Mary, who would be the doorway into that world." Gemma dreams of Kartik, but also of something that has haunted her: her resemblance to her mother. Simple. Quick. R&R. Kartik/Gemma.


Gemma only knew she was dreaming because Kartik was there.

She laughed as she pulled him through the fair, the carnival. There were entertainers in masks, games, prizes, and a hall of mirrors. Kartik smiled and laughed, something that in real life, Gemma knew wasn't easy for him. His life was so hard. They had battled for a year, and he had been consumed by the Tree of All Souls. But in this dream, with him, he was happy, and they were together.

"We should go in," he told her, pulling her for once. He had interrupted her thoughts, but she allowed him to. She was just pleased they could be together in this short time. Sometimes he visited her, sometimes she imagined him. She could never tell which was which, unless he made it clear.

They dashed into the hall, playing with their reflections. One made Gemma tall, another made Kartik short, stout. People were all around them. Couples, children, they each altered their appearance with the reflective glass. A small girl cut in front of them, followed by a young boy. Gemma and Kartik looked at each other, surprised, but didn't let it bother them. They laughed together in merriment. They laughed because they could, because there weren't people there to stop them. Deeper into the mirrors they ran, dodging the other people until they thinned out to nothing. The people seemed to vanish, but their laughter and joy didn't. You could hear echoes of laughter and delight through the mirrors.

"Keep holding my hand," he instructed her. The mirrors seemed to close in the farther they went, holding onto them closely. They narrowed, getting closer and closer. It seemed to narrow so they had to go sideways through a small passage. Gemma was beginning to worry at this point. It wasn't uncommon for her dreams to alter as they went on. It wasn't uncommon for her to be consumed by shadows.

"We must be getting closer to the end," Gemma said, trying to be encouraging. Kartik didn't reply. It took Gemma a moment to realize that he wasn't there anymore. Her hand was clenched in a fist, holding onto something that was no longer there. The passage opened, and Gemma was faced another room, white walls and no exit besides the mirrors behind her. A single mirror stood before her, daunting. The laughter had thinned to a hushed silence.

"Kartik?"

Gemma's voice was soft, as if the silence was too powerful to be broken. She turned around, and the hall she had passed through vanished. Gemma spun around, searching for exits. She was feeling overwhelmed, completely and thoroughly lost. Kartik was nowhere to be found.

A voice from the air seemed to whisper, "come." Gemma looked up, startled. The only place to go was the sole mirror in the center, so Gemma approached it cautiously.

She looked at herself: her glass green eyes, fair skin, golden-red hair. And, what she hadn't noticed: her light blue dress. _I had been wearing green_ , she thought to herself.

And then she realized that she was changing in the mirror. Her face became older, her hands, her hair seemed to lighten, some white becoming more apparent.

Virginia.

But it wasn't Virginia. It was definitely Gemma. Gemma at 41, the age her mother was when she had died. When she had killed herself to save her soul from eternal capture.

It struck Gemma how much she and her mother had haunted each other. Gemma, the power that would save the realms, and Mary, who would be the doorway into that world. Gemma, who was the reason Mary kept in touch with her old life, and Virginia, who tried her best to save her daughter through ignorance.

They had each made mistakes.

Gemma didn't cry then. She wouldn't cry then. But she came close.

"Gemma?"

Kartik rounded the corner and found her, and Gemma found herself standing at the exit, no mirror before her. The same little girl pushed past her. The cheers were back in her peripheral hearing. Kartik smiled as he took her hand. "Are you alright? You look paler than usual."

She nodded and squeezed his hand carefully. "Is this a dream Kartik? Are you really here?"

He seemed confused for a moment. "Can't you tell?"

"I can't. That's why I asked."

"Oh. Well, It's not real. You're dreaming. But I'm here with you, as always. I, Kartik, am here for you always."

"Are you here for me because you were instructed to follow me until the end?"  
"Gemma, I am here for you because I love you, and that is all. Always."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll wake up soon," Gemma told him.

"Then I will wait for you to sleep again."

"Okay."

"I will."

"I love you, Kartik."

"Okay."


End file.
